ICE CREAM – HIBISCUS HUT
When the balmy tropical temperatures soar, there is nothing as cooling or as delicious as a gourmet ice cream. The Hibiscus Hut is located beside the Activities Lounge area and is open daily from 11am to 5pm. The hut offers a yummy range of waffle cone ice creams and sorbets made on the island, sundaes, cold drinks, filled rolls, toasted sandwiches, pies, and sausage rolls.
ICE
Your in-room ice bucket can be filled at Captain Andy’s Beach Bar & Grill or from the ice machines located in each Guest Laundry in the 3///400, 500 and 700 village areas.
IN-HOUSE MOVIES
For your enjoyment on a rainy day, to keep the kids entertained, or even just a lazy afternoon watching flicks, check out our complimentary daily-changing in-house movies. We offer an extensive selection varying from Action Adventure, Action Comedy, Romantic Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi to Children’s Animation and even good ole Classic Comedies and Musicals. You can enjoy a wide selection of both favourite and fresh titles from 8.30am throughout the day on Channels 7-18. For a listing of the day’s titles, please see your daily Guest Newsletter.
We also feature a Resort Information Channel on Channel 6, which provides you with additional information on resort facilities and services here at The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa and at our sister resort, The Aitutaki Lagoon Resort & Spa private island resort. Please contact Front Desk on “0” for further assistance.
INSECTS
Your room is fitted with an insect screen for protection against life’s little nuisances. Your room and surrounding outside area are also regularly sprayed for unwelcome pests. The Resort is however sensitive to concerns about the effects of sprays on human health, so there is therefore a limit to the amount of spraying that can be safely carried out. Please avoid storing food out in the open by using your mini bar fridge for food storage at all times, bearing in mind not to overstock and thus over-tax the fridge. Any sweet foods left outside of the fridge or dropped into bedding such as pieces of fruit, dried fruits, biscuits and so on would likely attract tiny sugar ants in no time. Should you have any unwelcome visitors please feel free to use the insecticide spray provided in your guest room. For any further assistance please contact Housekeeping on ext 8023 9am-5pm, or after hours the Front Desk, dial “0”.
Travellers Tip! Please remember that in the tropics things grow to lush proportions, and while some pests may look bigger than at home, they are really more of a nuisance than anything else. Many insects are attracted to light, so it will help to turn off your lights when leaving your room at night. And as mentioned above, it is very important not to leave opened food sitting around anywhere inside your room – please store this in your mini fridge. Talking of visitors, sometimes a moko (a gecko) may find her way into your room in the early evening – she’s after insects or little titbits of soft, sweet fruits like banana or pawpaw. Other than sometimes making a clicking sound (‘her bark’) and occasionally leaving her ‘calling card’ she is completely harmless to humans (insects though are in real danger!) She will mostly scurry about on the ceiling or upper walls near the light, and will go into hiding during the broad of the day (probably outside among the leafy bushes).
INTERCONNECTING ROOMS
The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa has interconnecting rooms available for the convenience of families or groups. The 400 Village offers interconnecting facilities in the Garden Room category for the 7 upstairs and 7 downstairs rooms, which are fully interconnected horizontally eg it’s possible to have 2, 3 or more interconnected rooms up to a total of 7 upstairs or 7 downstairs. There is also a pair of 2 interconnecting rooms available in our Beachfront Room category and 2 in our Beachfront Suite category. Due to limited stock in the other room categories, only requests for Garden Room interconnected rooms can be confirmed at time of reservation. Please contact Front Desk for assistance, dial “0”.
INTERNET & EMAIL FACILITIES
Full internet and email facilities are available 24 hours a day at the Internet Booths located in the Resort Lobby. The charge is NZ$3 for 10 minutes, NZ$9 for 30 minutes and NZ$18 for 60 minutes. Internet and email access is also available in your room if you have a service provider. Otherwise our IT department can set up the in-room dial-up connection for you. Set-up costs NZ$15. Technical Support is available from 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Public Holidays). In-room internet and email charges are 40 cents per minute, posted to your room account. For further details please contact Front Desk, dial “0”.
The Rarotongan also has the Telecom Cook Islands Hot Spot service available poolside. All computers with WiFi facility are able to use the Hot Spot service. The Hot Spot has 256KBPS internet connection speed. You can purchase the Telecom WiFi prepaid card from the Resort’s Front Desk. There are 4 different WiFi prepaid cards available: NZ$15 for 50MB, NZ$36 for 150MB, NZ$50 for 250MB and NZ$64 for 400MB. The card is valid for 30 days after the first time you log in. The internet service will be disconnected once you have used up the data limit printed on the prepaid card.
If your computer has got no built-in WiFi facility, you will not be able to use the Hot Spot service. However the Resort offers a PCMCIA WiFi adapter installation service enabling you to use the Hot Spot service, and this costs:
Standard Set-up |
NZ$15 |
Bond |
NZ$100 |
The Standard Set-up charge involves 15 minutes of IT Personnel time. Any further Technical Support required is charged at NZ$1 per minute.
Technical Support is available between 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Public Holidays).
ISLAND FASHIONS
If you’re on the lookout for designer resort-wear there are three well-known local designers whose fashions you may like to check out.
Ellena Tavioni sells her distinctive hand-printed and hand-painted apparel, including swimwear, at her shop and factory TAV on the back road (Vakatini Road) behind Avarua town (phone 23 202), or at the outlet store in the small shopping centre directly across from the Airport exit. She offers a wide range of colours, patterns (often based on traditional Cook Islands motifs) and styles including casual and formal wear, short sets with top, long and short skirts, long and short dresses of varying styles, wedding dresses, men’s island shirts and children’s wear, and she also tailors to fit if necessary. TAV was a favourite when shown at the New Zealand Fashion Week parades, and statuesque Ellena has dressed many a Cook Islands beauty queen as well.
Former Miss Cook Islands and co-founder of the leading Orama Dance Troupe, Gina Keenan-Williams, has a hut at the Punanga-Nui Market (furthest to the right from the main road) where she sell her vibrant, custom hand-painted dresses and shirts (mobile phone 55 194).
Polynesia By Design, situated on the main Circle Island Road (across the road and down from the Beachcomber gallery) offers a very wide range of fresh, stylish island designs and one-of-a-kind pieces printed with large tropical hibiscus and other flowers in vibrant colours against brilliant white, or a contemporary take on traditional Cook Islands patterns. The original range is locally-designed and created and includes pareu (sarongs), wedding dresses, men’s shirts and smart streetwear. Phone 28 340 or email info@polynesiabydesign.com www.polynesiabydesign.com
ISLAND NIGHT
The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa’s famed Island Nights - ‘Legends of Polynesia’ - feature a mouthwatering traditional umukai feast and mesmerising drum dance performance every Wednesday and Saturday night. Meet at Captain Andy’s Beach Bar & Grill from 6pm for romantic sunset cocktails, then see the authentic steaming earthoven (umu) opened at 6.30pm, the feast of coconut-fed island pork, gamefish, lamb, beef, chicken, baked local vegetables and an array of salads and desserts is laid before you at 7pm, then it’s on with the riveting dance show at 8pm. Cook Islands dancers and drummers are widely considered to be the best in the South Pacific, and these performances are an authentic expression of traditional Cook Islands culture. Guests often tell us that ‘Legends of Polynesia’ Island Night was one of the highlights of their stay, so it’s definitely a night not to be missed, and even if you think you’ve seen island dancing elsewhere, you’ve never seen anything like this – right from the heart! The Wednesday and Saturday night performances are completely different to each other, the renowned Orama (The Vision) Troupe feature on Wednesday night, and the vibrant, young and energetic E Matike (Awake!) Troupe of dancers and drummers feature on Saturday night. This is the only Island Night on Rarotonga featuring food cooked in the traditional way in an authentic underground oven (earth oven), imparting a unique, smokey taste and succulent tenderness. Reservations are essential, dial 8020. Island Nights are non-smoking.
ISLAND TIME
The Cook Islands are renowned for our wonderfully friendly people and the relaxed pace of life. This is often known colloquially as “Island Time” and tuning into island time is certainly the best way to completely relax and enjoy your holiday on Rarotonga. To avoid any frustration please take into account that any timings you are given in the islands can sometimes be more of an approximation than a deadline. Remembering this will save you any unnecessary stress. Slow service however is not acceptable within the Resort; please contact the Duty Manager on “0” if you experience any problems.
Travellers Tip! Take a walk down the beach. Turn around and walk back at half the pace. Now you’re starting to get into the groove of Island Time! You know what they say, “when in Rarotonga, do as the Rarotongan’s do”!
IRONS & IRONING BOARDS
Irons and boards are located in the Guest Laundries at these locations: past Salon VIVO and up the ramp in the 300/400 village area; past SpaPolynesia and up the ramp in the 500 village area; and as you approach the 700 village area, opposite the tennis court. Your guestroom also comes equipped with an iron and ironing board.
KAYAKING
Kayaking is a safe and enjoyable pastime in Aroa Lagoon, and The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa offers guests a fleet of complimentary one-and two-seater kayaks, plus the Daily Activities Programme regularly features guided Kayak Tours with members of our Activities Team who enjoy sharing their extensive knowledge and old stories of this area.
Aroa Lagoon is encircled by a living coral reef which separates the lagoon from the open Pacific Ocean, and is safe for kayaking, swimming and snorkelling at all tides. However, in Vaimaanga about 1 kilometre or so east of Aroa Lagoon, in front of the proposed Hilton Rarotonga, are the Rutaki and Papua passages out through the reef into the open ocean. These passages are dangerous for swimming, snorkelling, fishing, kayaking and surfing, and a number of local fishermen and tourist snorkellers have drowned there over the years. Do not at any time paddle out through (or over) the reef into the open ocean.
At low tide it is also possible to haul a kayak over the Aroa Lagoon reef itself and into the open ocean. As well as the danger of being taken out to sea out of sight of land, it is suicidal to attempt to return across the reef at high tide when the waves are crashing hard onto sharp coral. Relax, stay within the lagoon, and enjoy an easy ride! Activities Hut, dial 8061.
Travellers Tip! One day, not so long ago, a member of our Activities Team looked up and thought he saw a couple of kayaks disappearing over the horizon. He paddled out as quickly as he could to offer assistance. By the time he reached them, they were a couple of kilometres out to sea. What were they doing? They were each lying on their kayaks, eyes closed, sunbathing, gently drifting out into the vast Pacific Ocean. Luckily for them, our Activities staffer was able to escort them back over the reef. There is no helicopter rescue service in the Cook Islands. What they were doing that day was sorely tempting fate!
KEYS
The resort has two guest room key systems – the swipe card and the traditional key system. For assistance on operating either system, please contact Front Desk, dial “0”.
For your convenience and safety, please leave your room key at Front Desk when leaving the Resort, and ensure the door to your room is properly closed and locked. If your Room Attendant finds your door unlocked and your room unoccupied when servicing it, the attendant will lock the door upon leaving in order to ensure the security of your belongings. Replacement charge for a lost or misplaced room key is NZ$25.
